Alleyn and Sophy approached the well-railing and looked downwards. The area below was illuminated from some unseen source and the end of a stone sarcophagus was clearly visible. From their bird’s eye position they could see that the stone lid was heavily carved.

As they looked, a shadow, much distorted, moved across the wall behind it, disappeared, and was there again, turning this way and that.

Sophy cried out: ‘Look! It’s—it’s that woman!’ But it had gone.

‘What woman?’ Grant asked, behind her.

‘The one with the shawl over her head. The postcard-seller. Down there.’

‘Did you see her?’ Mr Mailer asked quickly.

‘I saw her shadow.’

‘My dear Miss Jason! Her shadow! There are a thousand Roman women with scarves over their heads who could cast the same shadow.’

‘I’m sure not. I’m sure it was she. It looked as if—as if—she wanted to hide.’

‘I agree,’ Alleyn said.

‘Violetta is not permitted to enter the basilica, I assure you. You saw the shadow of someone in another party, of course. Now—let us follow Mr Grant down into the temple of Mithras. He has much to relate.’

They had completed their circuit of the cloisters and entered a passage leading to a spiral iron stairway. The ceiling was lower here and the passage narrow. Grant and Mailer led the way and the others trailed behind them. The head of the little procession had reached the stairhead when Lady Braceley suddenly announced that she couldn’t go on.

‘I’m frightfully sorry,’ she said, ‘but I want to go back. I’m afraid you’ll think it too dreary of me but I can’t, I can’t, I can’t stay in this awful place another moment. You must take me back, Kenneth. I didn’t know it’d be like this. I’ve never been able to endure shut up places. At once. Kenneth! Where are you! Kenneth!’

But he wasn’t with them. Her voice flung distorted echoes about the hollows and passages. ‘Where’s he gone?’ she cried out and the whole region replied ‘—gone—on—on.’

Mailer had taken her by the arm. ‘It’s all right, Lady Braceley. I assure you. It’s perfectly all right. Kenneth went back to photograph the Apollo. In five minutes I will find him for you. Don’t distress yourself. No doubt I’ll meet him on his way here.’

‘I won’t wait for him. Why’s he suddenly taking photographs? I gave him a camera costing the earth and he never uses it. I won’t wait for him, I’ll go now. Now.’

The Baron and Baroness swarmed gigantically about her making consoling noises. She thrust them aside and made for Grant, Major Sweet and Alleyn who were standing together. ‘Please! Please!’ she implored and after a quick look round, latched with great determination on to the Major. ‘Please take me away!’ she implored. ‘Please do.’